Ward named New Executive Director at

SMTS, Inc.
Raymond Skaggs, President of the Board of Directors recently announced that upon the
Retirement of Bill Osborne at the end of December 2014, Denny Ward will be stepping up to the
position of Executive Director for SMTS. Ward, who came to work for the company in 2006 as
Controller, and was promoted to Assistant Executive Director in 2010 assumed the
responsibilities as of January 1, 2015. Ward brings to the table more than 25 years of grant
writing experience, a background in human resources, local government experience, and a
lifetime of accomplishments civically. In 2009, Ward was recognized on the local and state level
for his community leadership, receiving a proclamation from State Representative Shelly
Keeney, the prestigious 110% Award from Regional Radio KTJJ, and the Democrat News
Award for Outstanding Community Leader. As a life-long resident of Madison County, Ward
believes in the potential our region has for growth and development, and freely volunteers his
time on several boards, including the Missouri Public Transportation Association, Madison
Medical Center, Missouri Association of Community Arts Agencies (past President), Marquand
Development Corporation, Will Mayfield College Foundation, Mary F. Whitener Scholarship,
Holmes Brothers Scholarship, and is currently the Mayor of Marquand, which is an elected, nonpaying position.
Southeast Missouri Transportation Service, Inc. is a 501c3 Non-Profit Corporation dedicated
to providing Rural Public Transportation for Anyone in 20 Counties in Missouri, and nonemergency medical transportation in an additional five counties. During the last fiscal year,
SMTS provided just under 300,000 individual rides to Missouri residents who are transportation
challenged. SMTS is recognized as the second largest rural transportation provider in the
Nation; second to OATS, which is also a Missouri based provider. When asked what he
envisioned for the future, Ward stated: I never cease to be amazed at the number of people who
are unfamiliar with who we are, and what we do. We have the opportunity to make life easier
for the residents of the counties we serve, and a mission to ensure that we are there when were
needed. Another misconception is that we are a taxi type service, when actually we must
operate on a scheduled route in order to cover all regions of the counties we serve. The SMTS of
today is not the same as it was 41 years ago when the company was established with one van and
one driver, serving one county. Transportation has evolved to a greater height, people in general
are living and driving longer, the need we see in society for public transit has evolved right along
with these variables. Now, its up to us to structure ourselves to meet this need for a population
of all ages, and I have every reason to believe we can do just that. For more information visit
the SMTS website at www.ridesmts.org or call the main office at 800-273-0646.